1. Field
Example embodiments in general relate to child-resistant closure systems for containers.
2. Related Art
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) proposed a rule in early 2012 to require child-resistant (“CR”) packaging for any over-the-counter or prescription product containing the equivalent of 0.08 milligrams or more of an imidazoline, a class of drugs that includes tetrahydrozoline, naphazoline, oxymetazoline, and xylometazoline, in a single package. Imidazolines are a family of drugs that are vasoconstrictors indicated for nasal congestion and/or ophthalmic irritation. Products containing imidazolines can cause serious adverse reactions, such as central nervous system (“CNS”) depression, decreased heart rate, and depressed ventilation in children treated with these drugs or who accidentally ingest them. Based on the scientific data, the CPSC has preliminarily found that availability of 0.08 milligrams or more of an imidazoline in a single package, by reason of its packaging, is such that special packaging is required to protect children under 5 years old from serious personal injury or illness due to handling, using, or ingesting such a substance. The CPSC has taken this action under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970.
Accordingly, as it is expected that this rule will become law, manufacturers will be required to develop child-resistant closure (CRC) systems for their nasal pump sprayers and eye-dropper dispenser products (such as Visine®), as each of these products contain the equivalent of 0.08 milligrams or more of an imidazoline. In doing so, one goal is to ensure that the newly developed dispensers are robust enough to prevent children five years old and under from being able to inadvertently open the bottle to use or ingest the contents, while still being “senior friendly” to mature adults.
Moreover, the same child-resistant principals as to be applied to nasal sprayers and eye-dropper (squeeze) bottles so as to comply with impending CR packaging regulations, could also be made applicable to other fields of fluid dispenser/packaging. For example, little or no thought has be given to developing CRC systems for consumer fluid pump dispensers having a viscosity generally higher than that of water or water-based medicinal fluids, such as those dispensers holding lotions, shampoos, baby oils, and paints.